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The unemployed and those living alone are particularly at risk of poverty
Shopping at a Tafel: The Federal Statistical Office publishes figures on poverty in Germany. photo
© Felix Kästle/dpa
Figures from the Federal Statistical Office show how many people in Germany have to make do with little money. In view of rising prices, the situation threatens to worsen.
Around 13 million people were at risk of poverty in Germany last year. This corresponds to 15.8 percent of Germans, the Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday as the result of an initial evaluation of the available data.
People are considered to be at risk of poverty if they have less than 60 percent of the median income. A year earlier, this applied to 13.2 million people (16.1 percent). The Federal Office spoke of a comparable level. According to the Federal Office in 2021, the average income for a person living alone was 15,009 euros net per year (1251 euros per month), for two adults with two children under the age of 14 it was 31,520 euros net (2627 euros per month).
Affects more women than men
More women were affected (16.5 percent) than men (15.1 percent). The gap widens with age: from the age of 65, 21 percent of women lived below the threshold and 17.4 percent of men. The reason for this is lower pension entitlements due to interrupted employment – for example due to raising children.
At 16.2 percent, children and young people in Germany were at above-average risk of poverty. The same applies to single parents (26.6 percent) and people living alone (26.8 percent), as the Federal Office announced. Families with many children are also at risk: the income of 23.6 percent of people in households of two adults with three or more children did not reach the threshold.
Parity welfare association: The situation is getting worse
Almost every second person (47 percent) was at risk of poverty. For retired people, the rate was 19.3 percent.
In view of the current price increases, the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband has warned that the situation will worsen in 2022. The corona pandemic had already increased poverty in Germany.